Arkham Asylum is an incredible game. They actually managed to weave so many side characters and backstories into a coherent storyline and nailed the atmosphere right on. It even feels like Metal Gear with all the sneaking around. I'm totally hooked on it.

I have an upper honors degree in biology, with distinctions for my final year project and modules in cryptogamic botany, integrated pest management, and things along those lines. I also have distinctions for my minor subjects - javascript-based scientific simulations, dynamic website design and administration and so on. I also have an industrial-level medal for producing the best academic thesis and project in my honors cohort. Topped the 2003 honors cohort, in other words.

What do I do now?

I have been supervising grasscutting, making sure grass is not more than 2 cm tall, measuring how thick tree trunks are with a regular measuring tape, and routinely listening to complaints about people's rubbish bins overflowing, for more than 3 years. When tasked with developing their staff's potential, my bosses sent me for a course on operating a cherry-picker crane. I was also asked to go for a course on playset assessment, involving pushing and pulling slides, swings and see-saws to ensure they don't fall apart, but I refused vehemently, seeing as to how it would entrench me further in this field given the unbelievable additional bond period for something that isn't exactly analogous to a course in rocket science.

I go to work in long-sleeved office clothes daily as my mother would kill me if she found out I'm supervising grasscutting after wasting 4 years getting an honors degree.

It got very old from week 2, but I have been doing this for 3 years and 3 months already, with no other job offers on the horizon at all even after sending out close to 200 job applications in the past 3 years. To add insult to all this, only last month did my boss tell me that among the 14 existing 'managers', only 2 of us - me and another, were degree graduates. That immediately explained everything - the general lack of motivation, interest, initiative, EQ and all. In addition, apart from these 14, another 2 new 'managers' who had just joined were fresh graduates. I always thought 'manager' was a position someone reaches after some years of experience. Clearly this is not so here, and all along I had been working like some real manager, unaware that I was being given all the so-called 'manager'-level work (which really isn't high-level; just that the others don't know how to use computers) that the other 'managers' could not do - either due to incompetence or lack of interest. And I shan't even elaborate on the fact that 16 of the branch of 22 are 'managers'. Seems like everyone is a 'manager' these days. Clearly, I was cheated from day 1 when I applied for this 'manager' position.

Today, I was listening for almost 2 hours, to a resident, a retiree probably older than 65 who didn't need to work and could stay at home in his expensive land-based house all day watching TV, complain about how 'his rubbish bins have not been emptied for 6 months already', how he can see students routinely having sex at the benches near his house every week, and how he is unhappy seeing workers smoking when they are sweeping up leaves, I and noticed the way I was addressed was similar to how ruffians treat mangy dogs. Lots of cursing, belittling, insinuation and basically, loud volume. As usual I managed to keep myself in check, but if I wasn't part of the organization I would've let him have an earful right on the spot. I really wanted to twist his head off like one of those 1.2 liter screwtop bottles.

So much for that upper-tier biology degree. Measuring trees with a measuring tape and supervising grasscutting is definitely not biology.

Is this kind of thing common in other countries too, given the ubiquity of honors degrees, or is it just a Singapore thing?

I just realized I am a stupid salaryman with nothing to look forward to in life.
Study hard, do well in school and get a good job, they said.

We did the study hard and do well in school bit.

Hopefully this will change once I quit my job first thing next year.

A great cosplay photographer

[link]

Ah.

I got 0 birthday presents.